Bottle-stopper.



G. F. PINSUTI.

BOTTLE sToPPER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.27, .1914.

` 1,140,062. 1 Patented May 18, 1915.

`24 15 12 'Y I) 'nnun GIUSEPPE F. PINSUTI,

or NEwYonK, N. Y. BOTTLE-srorrnn.

Speeication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Application led August 27, 1914.. Serial No. 858,853.

To .all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, GIUSEPPE F.`P1Nsu"r1, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, lhave invented an Imf provernent in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a bottle stopper, and is an improvement upon the bottle stopper shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 694,446, filed May 1, 1912, for Letters Patent for a similar invention.

The object of this invention is to reduce the cost of manufacture, by simplifying the construction and eliminating all unnecessary parts, and the bottle stopper made in ac. cordance with the present'invention preferably comprises a body member having a chamber therein with ports communicating with the chamber from the exterior of the stopper, a valve seat, a light flexible valve, and a valve vcontroller actuated through gravity by its own weight, the construction and operation of all of which will be hereinafter more'particularly described.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional longitudinal cross section of a bottle stopper embodying my present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2, 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the light flexible valve employed in the stopper. Fig. 4: is a view.

similar to Fig. 1, showingthe parts of the stopper in their inverted positions. Fig. 5

is also a central longitudinal cross section ,illustrating another form of the inven-tion. Fig. 6 is a transverse cross section of a modified form of the valve controller, and F igs.- 7 and 8 are central lon tions illustrating other orms of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, my improved bottle stopper comprises a body member 10, made of an suitable material and in any desired con guration. Interiorly,` the body member 10 is provided with a chamber 11. In one end, preferably the outer end of thebody member, there is a port 12, in a portion of which there is a wall 13, with ports 14 therethrough, the ports 12 and 14s making communication with the chamber 11 from this end of the body of the stopper. The opposite end ofthe body member is open and fitted with a plug 15, which, when placed' in position, bears against a shoulder 16, protudinal cross sec-A vided interiorly of the body member. Ezitendlng through the plug 15 are ports 1 7,

Vwhich provide communication with thel chamber l1 from this endof the stopper.

As illustrated, a portion of the plug 15 is of reduced diameter, and adapted to enter the mouth of the neck of a bottle, as indicated at 18, with the shoulder formed between the parts of the plug flush with the end of the body member.

Surrounding the plug 15, and lying lbetween the adjacent ends of the body member 10, and the end of the neck of the bottle, 1 prefer .to employ a gasket 19, and the stopper, in this form of the invention, is preferably secured to theneck of the bottle by a band 20, which extends around the same, suitably gripping the body member 10, and also the outer surface of the neck of the bottle. The inner surface of the plug 15 is indicated at 21. This, while forming one of the walls of the chamber'lO, is also a valve seat. Within the chamber 10, I employ a valve 22. This is preferably square, as clearly vindicated in Fig. 3, and is made of sheet cork, thinrubber, or other similar and equally flexible. material. Also within the chamber 11 I employ a valve controller 23. The base of the controller is preferably circular Ain outline, and in spaced positions on its periphery, there are ribs 24 providing the intervening recesses or passage-ways 25 for escape of the contents of the bottle.

The walls forming the sides of the chamber 1l are suitably tapered, and the faces of the ribs 24, on the controller member, are inclined at the same angle, the inclined side walls forming the chamber 11 being indi` cated at 26.

In their normal'or initial positions, the

parts of the hereinbefore describedstopper are those indicated in Fig. 1, wherein the valve controller 23 bears against the outer surface of the valve 22v and causes the oppof 4site surface thereof to rest against the valve seat 21. In pouring the contents of the bot` tle therefrom, the bottle is inverted, as is customary, and the valve controller 23 then falls to the opposite end of the chamber 11, carrying with it the valve 22, because of the adhesion between these members, due to the moisture accumulated thereon, either from withinor without the bottle, it being noted that the contact surface between the valve 22 and the valve controller 23 is considerably greater than the contact surface between the valve and its seat. After the contents of the bottle, or a portion of the same,

. inclined walls and will return to its initial position, carrying the valve with it and thereby seating the same.

It is here to be noted that inasmuch as the base of the valve controller is circular, and the valve is rectangular and the diameter of the base of the controller is approximately equal to the distance between the opposite corners of the valve, all the corners of the valve will project an appreciable distance beyond the recessed portions of the base of the controller, so that, with the bottle in an inverted or partially' inverted position, in attempts to refill the same, the vinfiowing fluid will strike against these projecting corners, separating the valve from the con troller, without necessarily moving the latter, and will carry .the valve to its seat, independently of the controller, in order to close the ports 17 in the plug 15 and thereby prevent the fluid from flowing into the bottle.

By reference to Fig. 5, it will be seen that l may dispense with the use of the plug member 15, utilizing the end of the neck of ln this contremity, is of reduced diameter, providing a shoulderr29, between which and the adjacent member of the body member 10 a gasket 28 is employed for forming an air and liquid-tight` joint between the parts.

ln some instances, it may be advisable to increase the bearing surface of the valve seat, when the extremity of the neck of the bottle is employed for this purpose, and in.

so doing, the end of the neck of the bottle may be provided with cross members 34C, between which there are ports or openings 35 for permitting the contents of the bottle to be poured therefrom. ln this construction, as will also be understood, it is necessary to grind the extremity of the neck of the bottle, in order to obtain a uniformly `flat surface for the valve seat. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, in some instances, l may 'construct the valve controller in two parts, the puter end of the main part 30 being recessed tol receivea removable member 31, which is normally held in position by frictional contact. The purpose of constructing the valve controller member with separating parts is to prevent the possibility of holding the valve controller out of its place, in attempts to refill the bottle, by means of adhesive substance, or otherwise, because in such attempts, as will be readily apparent, the removable member might be so held, and if so, the main portion of the controller would be freed therefrom to operate the valve. Furthermore, as clearly indicated in Fig. 7, the inclined periphery of the valve controller 23 may be a uniformly even' surface, and in this instance the walls forming the inclined sides of the chamber 11, in the stopper 10, are provided with suitably spaced ribs 32 with intervening recesses or passages 33 for the discharge of the contents of the bottle.. In this construction, as well as that shown in Fig. 3, the operation of the parts are the same as that described in connection with the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

ln order to insure the proper seating of the valve, andto prevent the accumulation of any deposit thereon, due to the evaporation of the material which the bottle may contain, l prefer,lin all instances, to provide a recess surrounding the valve seat. ln the form of invention shown in Figs. 1 to fl, inclusive, this recess is between the plug 17 and the adjacent surface vof the body member, and is indicated at 36, whereas in the other forms of the invention this recess lies between the outer surface of the neck of the bottle adjacent the valve seat and the adjacent portion of the body member. Also, by reference to Fig. 5, it-will be seen that in use the port 12, in the outer portion of the body member, is closed by a cork 37, or other stopper, and in order that the cork may be readily grasped, in order to remove the same, it may also be so placed in the lport as not to extend beyond the end of the body member. The outer portion of the body member may be recessed, as indicated at 38. As will also be understood, the cork, so placed, does not protrude, and consequently willvnot become accidentally displaced. ln this construction, l may com bine the valve and valve controller as an integral deviceor dispense entirely with l the use of the compressible valve. Also by reference to Fig. 7, it'will be seen that the removable member, associated with the controller, may be a thin disk 39, made of mica or other similar and equivalent material fitted within a recess provided for the same in the upper or outer surface of the controller. Furthermore, in instances where the thin disk is employed, the wall 13 is provided with a projection L10, which prevents the disk 39 vfrom leaving the recess in the controller without in any wise interfering with the operation of the controller.

l claim as my invention:

1. A. bottle stopper comprising a body member having-a chamber with which communication is provided through a port in the stopper, the walls of which are inclined vand diverge from the said port, a flat valve seat, a flat valve, and a valve controller lll@ 1', 140,062 v its adapted to bear against the said valve and to normally maintain the same against its seat, the said valve being movable independently of the said valve controller,'the periphery of the said valve controller being tapered at an inclination corresponding to that of the Walls of the chamber of the stopper so that the said valve controller may slide on the said Walls in returning to the position in which it normally maintains the valve against its seat. v

2. A bottle stopper comprising a bodyl member having a chamber therein with which communication is provided through a port in the stopper, the Walls of which` chamber are inclined and diverge from the said port, a flat valve seat, a flat valve, a valve controller having a flat base adapted to bear against the said valve to normally maintain the same against its seat and to slide against the said inclined walls of the stopper, and a removable member normally held in position frictionally in a recess provided therefor in the outer portion of the said valve controller.

3. A bottle stopper lcomprising a bod member having a chamber therein wit which communication is provided through a lport in the stopper and adjacent which a projection extends from the said ,body mem- 'ber into the said chamber, a valve seat, a

compressible va1ve a valve controller adapted to normally maintain the said valve against its seat and to slide on the Walls of the said chamber, and a removable memberheld frictionally in position in a recess provided therefor in the outer portion of the said valve controller and prevented from being removed from its said recess by the aforesaid projection.

4. A bottle stopper comprising a body member having a chamber therein with which communication is provided throu h a port in the stopper and the walls of w ich vand a removable member held frictionally 1n position ina recess provided therefor in the outer portion of the said valve controller.

5. A bottle stopper comprising a body member having a chamber therein with a port providing communication between the said chamber and the outer end of the said body member, a flat valve seat, a flat compressible'valve, a valve controller having a flat base adapted to bear against the said valve and normally maintain the same in position against its, seat, and a removable member normally lheld in position frictionally within a recess provided therefor inthe outer side of the said valve controller.

6. A bottle stopper comprising a body member,'having a chamber with which communication is provided through a port in the stopper and the walls of which are inclined and diverge from the said port, a llat I valveseat, a valve member with the periph 'ery tapered at an inclination correspondmg GIUSEPPE F. rINsU'rI.

Witnesses GEO. T. PINGKNEY,

D. Womans. 

